The New York Knicks have reportedly put center Joakim Noah on the trading block following a heated verbal exchange with head coach Jeff Hornacek, according to Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports.
The incident reportedly occurred at practice last week a day after Noah only played five minutes in a Knicks loss against the Golden State Warriors. The exchange was just short of turning physical and the two sides agreed that Noah should leave the team as the Knicks play their final two games of a seven-game road trip.
The prospect of trading Noah could prove to be difficult for the Knicks as the former two-time All-Star has dealt with numerous injuries over the past few seasons and was suspended for 20 games after violating the league's anti-drug program. In addition, teams likely won't be motivated to trade for Noah as he is in the second year of a four-year, $72 million contract he signed with the Knicks. The team could also seek a contract buyout with Noah if they are unsuccessful in trading him.
It seems as though the Knicks and Noah could eventually agree to some sort of contract buyout as a trade could prove difficult to execute. Noah is expected to receive interest from teams should he be waived or bought out as he has previously won the Defensive Player of the Year award and is a former member of the All-NBA First Team.
In two seasons with the Knicks, Noah has appeared in just 53 games while averaging just 4.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and two assists per game.
